User blog:Ugra Murda Kurma/Christian Buddhism
http://www.society-buddhist-christian-studies.org/ Again we will allways use a Wikipedia definition if there is one. Although surface level non-scholarly analogies have been drawn between the two traditions, Buddhism and Christianity have inherent and fundamental differences at the deepest levels, beginning with monotheism's place at the core of Christianity and Buddhism's orientation towards non-theism (the lack of relevancy of the existence of acreator deity) which runs counter to teachings about God in Christianity; and extending to the importance of Grace in Christianity against the rejection of interference withKarma in Theravada Buddhism, etc.[1][2][3] Another difference between the two traditions is the Christian belief in the centrality of the crucifixion of Jesus as a single event that some believe acts as the atonement of sins, and its direct contrast to Buddhist teachings.[4][5] Though some early Christians were aware of Buddhism, which was practiced in the Roman Empire in the early Christian period, the majority of modern Christian scholarship has roundly rejected any historical basis for the travels of Jesus to India or Tibet or direct influences between the teachings of Christianity in the West and Buddhism, and has seen the attempts at parallel symbolism as cases of parallelomaniawhich exaggerate the importance of trifling resemblances.[6][7][8][9] However, in the East syncretism between Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism was widespread along the Silk Road in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and was especially pronounced in the medieval Church of the East in China, as evidenced by the Jesus Sutras.[10] Wiki information is used so there is no copyright ishews http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism[note 1] that developed in China during the Tang dynasty as Chán. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, northeast to Korea and east to Japan.[2] Zen emphasizes rigorous meditation-practice, insight into Buddha-nature, and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others.[3][4]As such, it deemphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine[5][6] and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished teacher.[7] The teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahāyāna thought, especiallyYogācāra, the Tathāgatagarbha Sutras and Huayan, with their emphasis on Buddha-nature, totality, and the Bodhisattva-ideal.[8][9] The Prajñāpāramitā literature[10] and, to a lesser extent, Madhyamaka have also been influential. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaisajyaguru Bhaiṣajyaguru (भैषज्यगुरु), formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja(भैषज्यगुरुवैडूर्यप्रभाराज, "Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light"), is the buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings. OriginEdit Bhaiṣajyaguru is described in the eponymous Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra (भैषज्यगुरुवैडूर्यप्रभाराज सूत्र), commonly called the Medicine Buddha Sutra, as a bodhisattva who made 12 great vows. On achieving Buddhahood, he became the Buddha of the eastern pure land of Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa (वैडूर्यनिर्भास), or "Pure Lapis Lazuli".[1] There, he is attended to by twobodhisattvas symbolizing the light of the sun and the light of the moon respectively:[2] *Suryaprabha (Chinese: 日光遍照菩薩; pinyin: rìguāng biànzhào púsà) *Candraprabha (Chinese: 月光遍照菩薩; pinyin: yuèguāng biànzhào púsà) A Sanskrit manuscript of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra was among the textual finds at Gilgit, Pakistan, attesting to the popularity of Bhaiṣajyaguru in the ancient northwest Indian kingdom of Gandhāra.[3] The manuscripts in this find are dated before the 7th century, and are written in the upright Gupta script.[3] The Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang visited a Mahāsāṃghika monastery at Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in the 7th century CE, and the site of this monastery has been rediscovered by archaeologists.[4] Birchbark manuscript fragments from several Mahāyāna sūtras have been discovered at the site, including the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra (MS 2385).[4] The Twelve VowsEdit The Twelve Vows of the Medicine Buddha upon attaining Enlightenment, according to the Medicine Buddha Sutra[5] are: #To illuminate countless realms with his radiance, enabling anyone to become a Buddha just like him. #To awaken the minds of sentient beings through his light of lapis lazuli. #To provide the sentient beings with whatever material needs they require. #To correct heretical views and inspire beings toward the path of the Bodhisattva. #To help beings follow the Moral Precepts, even if they failed before. #To heal beings born with deformities, illness or other physical sufferings. #To help relieve the destitute and the sick. #To help women who wish to be reborn as men achieve their desired rebirth. #To help heal mental afflictions and delusions. #To help the oppressed be free from suffering. #To relieve those who suffer from terrible hunger and thirst. #To help clothe those who are destitute and suffering from cold and mosquitoes. Dharani and MantraEdit In the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra, the Medicine Buddha is described as having entered into a state of samadhicalled "Eliminating All the Suffering and Afflictions of Sentient Beings." From this samadhi state he spoke the Medicine Buddha Dharani.[5] :namo bhagavate bhaiṣajyaguru vaiḍūryaprabharājāya :tathāgatāya arahate samyaksambuddhāya tadyathā: :oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye mahābhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā. The last line of the dharani is used as Bhaisajyaguru's short form mantra. There are several other mantras for the Medicine Buddha as well that are used in different schools of Vajrayana Buddhism. IconographyEdit http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MedecineBuddha.JPGTibetan image of Bhaisajyaguru Bhaiṣajyaguru is typically depicted seated, wearing the three robes of a Buddhist monk, holding a lapis-colored jar of medicine nectar in his left hand and the right hand resting on his right knee, holding the stem of the Aruna fruit or Myrobalan between thumb and forefinger. In the sutra, he is also described by his aura of lapis lazuli-colored light. In Chinese depictions, he is sometimes holding a pagoda, symbolising the ten thousand Buddhas of the three periods of time. He is also depicted standing on a Northern Wei stele from approximately 500 AD now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accompanied by his two attendants, Suryaprabha and Candraprabha. Within the halo are depicted the''Seven Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddhas'' and seven apsaras.[6] Role in Chinese BuddhismEdit http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pure_Land_of_Bhaisajyaguru,_Yuan_Dynasty.JPGThe Pure Land of Bhaisajyaguru, a wall mural made circa 1319 AD, Yuan Dynasty The practice of veneration of the Medicine Buddha is also popular in China, as he is depicted as one of the trinity of Buddhas, the others being the founder Śākyamuni andAmitabha. He can also be viewed as the healing attribution to Śākyamuni, as he is often called the "Medicine King" in sutras. There are two popular Chinese translations of this sutra: one by Xuanzang [7] and the other by Yijing both translated in the Tang Dynasty. TheTaisho Tripitaka and Qianlong Tripitaka (Chinese: 乾隆大藏經) each have three translations of the sutra:[8] #By Dharmagupta in 615 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 449; Qianlong: no. 166) #By Xuanzang in 650 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 450; Qianlong: no. 167) #By Yijing in 707 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 451; Qianlong: no. 168) These three versions have different titles:[9] #Dharmagupta: Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha Chinese: 藥師如來本願經 #Xuanzang: Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance Chinese: 藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經 #Yijing: Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance and Seven Past Buddhas Chinese: 藥師琉璃光七佛本願功德經 (no. 168, two scrolls). The version translated by Yijing includes not only the vows of the Medicine Buddha but also the vows of the Seven Past Buddhas.[10] Like Tibetan Buddhists, Chinese Buddhists recite the mantra of the Medicine Buddha to overcome mental, physical and spiritual sickness. The Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra, which the Medicine Buddha is associated with and described in great detail in, is a common sutra to recite in Chinese temples as well. Furthermore, much like the nianfo path of Amitabha, the name of Medicine Buddha is also recited for the benefit of being reborn in the Eastern Pure Lands, though this is deemphasized in favor of the Medicine Buddha's role for the living. Role in Japanese BuddhismEdit Starting in the 7th century in Japan, Yakushi was prayed to in the place of Ashuku (Akshobhya). Some of Yakushi's role has been taken over by Jizō (Ksitigarbha), but Yakushi is still invoked in the traditional memorial services for the dead. Older temples, those mostly found in the Tendai and Shingon sects, especially those around Kyoto, Nara and the Kinki region often have Yakushi as the center of devotion, unlike later Buddhist sects which focus on Amitabha Buddha or KannonBodhisattva almost exclusively. Often, when Yakushi is the center of devotion in a Buddhist temple, he is flanked by theTwelve Heavenly Generals (十二神将 Jūni-shinshō?), who were twelve yaksha generals who had been converted through hearing the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra:[5] Wherever this sutra circulates or wherever there are sentient beings who hold fast to the name of the Medicine Buddha Buddha and respectfully make offerings to him, whether in villages, towns, kingdoms or in the wilderness, we Twelve Generals will all protect them. We will release them from all suffering and calamities and see to it that all their wishes are fulfilled. Role in Tibetan BuddhismEdit The practice of Medicine Buddha, the Supreme Healer (or Sangye Menla in Tibetan) is not only a very powerful method for healing and increasing healing powers both for oneself and others, but also for overcoming the inner sickness of attachment, hatred, and ignorance, thus to meditate on the Medicine Buddha can help decrease physical and mental illness and suffering. The Medicine Buddha mantra is held to be extremely powerful for healing of physical illnesses and purification of negativekarma. One form of practice based on the Medicine Buddha is done when one is stricken by disease. The patient is to recite the long Medicine Buddha mantra 108 times over a glass of water. The water is now believed to be blessed by the power of the mantra and the blessing of the Medicine Buddha himself, and the patient is to drink the water. This practice is then repeated each day until the illness is cured. http://www.dlshq.org/religions/buddhism.htm =Buddhism= By Sri Swami Sivananda Introduction Buddha, the Apostle of Ahimsa and Love The Noble Eightfold Path Buddha-Preacher of Practical Religion Conclusion Click here for a biography of Lord Buddha. 'Introduction' Om Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma-Sambuddhasa! 'Honour to the Blessed One, the Holy One, All-Wise!' Buddham saranam gacchami: Dhammam saranam gacchami: Sangham saranam gacchami: To the Buddha for Refuge I go: To the Teaching for Refuge I go: To the Order for Refuge I go: Buddha was born on the border of Nepal about 620 B.C. and died about 543 B.C. at Kusinagara in Oudh. Buddhism was founded by Gautama Sakya Muni, the rebel child of Hinduism. It sprang up directly from Hinduism. Buddha never thought of founding a new religion. He made no new discovery. He was proclaiming only the ancient and pure form of religion which had prevailed among the Hindus. The pure and noble religion of the Vedas and the Upanishads had degenerated into dead forms, unmeaning rites and ceremonies. The Brahmins claimed honour merely by their birth. They neglected the study of the Vedas and the practice of virtue. The Brahmins were treated with undue leniency, and the Sudras (the servant class) with undue severity. In order that flesh-eating might have the sanction religion, animals were slaughtered and sacrificed in Yajnas (ceremony where sacrifice is offered). Such was the state of society at the time when Buddha appeared. His tender and loving heart could not bear the shedding of so much innocent blood in the sacred name religion. Buddha declared that merit, and not birth, determined the position of a man in society. The persecuted Sudras joined him in large numbers and he unconsciously became the founder of a new faith. Buddhism is the religion of earnest, undaunted effort. Buddha demands from you faith in your own Self, in your own latent forces. Without this faith, nothing can be achieved. The first words of Buddha, after his Enlightenment, were: "Wide open are the gates of Immortality. Ye that ears to hear, release your faith." 'Buddha, The Apostle of Ahimsa and Love' Buddha was the greatest benevolent man or humanitarian which the world has ever produced. He is one without a second. Benevolence and humanitarianism are the key-notes of all religious movements of the world; but, the benevolence and humanitarian spirit and work of Buddha stand unrivalled in the religious history of the world. Buddha abandoned his kingdom and went about begging his bread through the streets of India, and preached for the good of men and animal. He had a heart as wide as the sky or the ocean. He did not want heaven. He did not want money or throne. What an exalted selfless Yogi he was! Many Rishis and prophets have preached the doctrine of love and Ahimsa, but there has never been, in the entire history of the world's ethical thought, a greater affirmation of the principle of Ahimsa and love than has been done by Buddha. No one has possessed such a tender, kind and merciful heart as Buddha. Hence, he is enshrined even now in the hearts of millions of people. His heart throbbed severely and melted when he saw a little suffering in an ant or a worm or a dog. He gave up his body as food for a hungry ferocious animal in his previous birth. Several acts of kindness done in several births made him a Buddha in his last birth. 'The Noble Eightfold Path' The gospel of Buddha is simple, and yet wonderfully profound. Buddha analyzed all experiences, and the world process as it appears to all of us, with a scientific frame of mind. He found out that everything is mutable, changing, and impermanent or transitory. There is suffering, disharmony, discord and discontent everywhere in life, on account of the impermanence or transitoriness of things around. This universal experience of sorrow or Dukka is the starting point in Buddha's thought. Buddha did not preach pessimism. He was wonderfully optimistic. He emphatically asserts that there is a way out of sorrow, and a heaven of eternal bliss, within the reach of every man. The four cardinal truths or principles which Buddha preached are: that there is suffering in the world; that the cause of suffering is Tanha or craving; that the extinction of craving leads to cessation of suffering; and that this extinction of craving can be achieved by the Noble Eightfold Path. Buddha lays great emphasis on the way of life. He avoids the two extremes of self-indulgence and self- mortification, and prescribes the Middle Way. He said: "There is a Middle Way, O recluses, avoiding these two extremes, discovered by the Tathagata (epithet for the Buddha)-a path which opens the eyes and bestows understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to full enlightenment, to Nirvana." What is this Middle Way? It is the Noble Eightfold Path which constitute, so to say, the entire ethical code of Buddha. The Noble Eightfold Path consists of the practice of: #Right belief or right understanding or right views; #Right aspiration; #Right speech; #Right conduct or right action; #Right living or right means of livelihood; #Right exertion; #Right mindfulness or attentiveness; and #Right concentration or meditation. These are the eight steps in the Way of Life presented by Buddha which annihilates suffering of all kinds and leads to the attainment of Nirvana or emancipation. The Noble Eightfold Path destroys lust, anger, greed, malice and other evils, and purifies the heart. Then dawns Bodhi or Enlightenment which bestows perfect everlasting peace, eternal bliss and immortality. The word 'Nirvana' literally means 'going out'. It signifies a spiritual experience full of peace and bliss, which is characterized by the 'going out' from the heart of the three fires of lust, ill-will and dullness. Nirvana is not utter annihilation. Nirvana is total extinction of all that is base in us. Buddha insisted upon the inexorable Law of Cause and Effect. He said to the people that they lived in a world in which causes always produce their natural and necessary effects and that the consequences of their conduct would, therefore, follow them wherever they went. He said that virtue has its own reward and vice its own punishment and that whatever is done inevitably reacts on the character and through the character affects for weal or woe the destiny of the Soul. The religion of the Buddha is a pathway to the Nirvanic beatitude. It is a way, and not a creed. It is a scheme of spiritual development, and not a set of doctrines. 'Buddha—The Preacher of Practical Religion' Buddha came to the world to show the path of righteousness, to destroy the path of error, and to break down sorrow. Buddhism is not agnosticism or atheism. Buddha did not deny God. He only said: "Do not bother about questions like 'Is there God?', 'Do I exist?', 'Is the world real or not?'. Do not waste your time and energy in useless discussions. Become a practical religious man. Purify your heart. Control the mind. Lead a virtuous life. You will attain Nirvana or emancipation or eternal bliss." To accuse Buddha as an atheist or agnostic is simply foolish. Buddha found no use in metaphysical wrangling. He declined to enter into metaphysics. Is there God or no God? Is life eternal or non-eternal? These questions were set aside as not requiring an answer for the attainment of Nirvana. The immediate great problem for Buddha was suffering and annihilation of suffering. He asked his followers not to bother about transcendental questions. He set aside all those things which did not help towards the attainment of the goal. He thought it wise to give his followers a way, and not a creed. He thought that speculation about the nature of the ultimate reality was an unnecessary drag on the path of truth and spiritual attainment. The vital and fundamental thing is not to discuss about the ultimate, but to tread the path which takes man out of the world of pain and suffering into supreme abode of eternal bliss and immortality. The nature of the ultimate truth is beyond the reach of mind and speech. If Buddha refused to define the nature of the Absolute, or if he contended himself with negative definitions, it is only to show that the Absolute or the Ultimate is above all definitions. 'Conclusion' The present-day world needs very badly the teachings of Lord Buddha. Everywhere we see preparations for destruction of the human race and its culture. Fear of the atomic bomb is causing restlessness everywhere. Scientists and dictators have neither rest nor peace. There is mistrust amongst the leaders of the nations. Malice, hatred and prejudice have grown to such a large extent that the very structure of human civilization seems to be crumbling. Scientists are working day and night in the laboratories to release as much atomic energy as possible to destroy people. What a horrible state of affairs! It is really shocking. The only way by which the world can be saved lies in a return to the great principles of Ahimsa and Maitri(friendliness) inculcated by Lord Buddha and Maharishi Patanjali. Hatred can never be cured by hatred. It can only be cured by love. This is a lesson which the world has to learn again and again. Take a solemn vow now to meet hatred with love, and malice with goodwill. This is the best way to pay homage to the great sage Lord Buddha, the apostle of love and Ahimsa, the saviour of the world, the Avatara (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. Category:Blog posts